5 Steps to Instantly Boost Your Mood & Raise Your Vibration

Have you seen the Debbie Downer skits on SNL? They’re hilarious. Rachel Dratch (as Debbie Downer) is always killing the mood with her insanely depressing stories. This one here is one of my favorites, because no one can keep a straight face and they keep breaking character. It kills me. Watch it!

These Debbie Downers, are draining AF. And frankly… I like to be happy and in a good mood. it feels good to feel good! Most of the time, there isn’t a reason not to be. However just so we are clear, I'm not a "good vibes only" gal. Nope. We have to allow time and space for the tough feelings too - but that's a whole other post for another day.

In this post, I’m going to give you tips on how to increase your positive energy and vibration… in other words, to be THE OPPOSITE of Debbie Downer.

High vibration people tend to be pretty authentic, self-aware and comfortable in their own skin. This allows them to be empathetic, emotionally balanced, living in the present, and giving towards others. Do things that honestly please them. All sorts of things that create positivity and happiness in life. Sounds good right? I thought so too!

I am always a work in progress myself. Somedays I do better than others. But in learning & practicing Reiki in addition to my own UnBecoming Healing Journey...  I’ve done a lot of soul searching, getting to know myself, mind shifting and rearranging. I've had to take a long hard look at things that were no longer serving me, and either transform them, or leave them behind. 

Realistically, being high vibration doesn’t mean you have to be always in a good mood or overly positive, bugging the shit out of people all day with constant sunshine and rainbows.  It means you are aligned with yourself and with the universe. Sounds out there… I know!  But I'm Woo-Woo, I love it and I'm so here for it. You just have trust me on this one. When you are aligned, you are ready to both receive or tackle anything that comes your way.

Here are my 5 practices for increasing your vibration.

·     Decide you are making the shift. Yep, step one is seemingly really easy. It’s also the most important one.  Your thoughts are the main thing that affect your energy and your vibration. You have to intentionally commit. Intentionally means that you have to actively and purposefully think about and practice it every day… until it becomes a part of you. Jay Shetty has a awesome technique for mind shifting in the moment. Spot. Stop. Swap.

Spot the negative thought. It could be a limiting belief about yourself. Judging someone else. Any number of negative things that run through our minds unneccesarily. Stop the thought, then Swap it for a thought that has better value for you.

• Take responsibility for your life. Own the choices you have made. Accept where you are in your life and be okay with it. Be good with it! Stop focusing on what you don’t have or what you are not.  Otherwise there always be “more” that you are chasing after, which delays happiness. For example, it would be easy for me to focus on the fact that I’m single.  But I don’t. Being single was a choice that I made, at least until I find someone who fits for me. 
• Learn to process and handle your feelings. Feelings are fleeting. They come and go. And if you are anything like me, they are big. I feel things hard, both the positive and negative. I am learning how mange them all. Observe or label them, allow yourself to feel and process them and then…  you can let them go and move on.  I cannot stress enough that you have to really let yourself feel everything. Sad? Cry it out. Angry? Express it. Yep, it can momentarily suck and not feel great. But sometimes we have to embrace the suckiness in life in order to level up.
• Dismiss unnecessary drama. This one is huge for me.  It’s SO easy to get sucked into drama, whether it be at work, with friends or family. Simply don’t do it. Don’t engage. There is so much negativity in these situations that will absolutely drag you down and cause your vibration and energy to TANK instantly. Bye Felicia!! Instead, go build people up! Compliment a stranger, pay for someone else’s meal. Random acts of kindness can go a long way.
• Practice gratitude. Start by writing down 3 things that make you happy every day. That is a mindful, conscious first step. Daily gratitude is now in your awareness. Keep practicing it. When it becomes a habit, spend more time with it. Allow yourself to go deep with it. It's easy to say "I'm thankful for my home" and just move on. Pause for a moment. What would it be like if you didnt have a home? Or your health? Or you friends and family? Why do these things make you happy? What value do they bring you? I can now instantly shift a crappy mood if I just pause, and honestly look around me and at my life - and I'm filled with gratitude.

 Jay Shetty has a powerful story on gratitude.

• Consider what media you are consuming. That includes social media too!! The shows you watch on TV and the music you listen to all affect your mood and energy. Sitting around all day watching the news or some depressing show? Chances are it’s not going to help your mood. Find things that inspire you – a podcast, a tv show, movie or music. Music for me is huge. If I was in a bad mood – I used to listen to songs that I could wallow in. Guess what – it only kept me in a negative place. Not helpful. So recently… I created a playlist of songs that put me in a high energy space. This list makes me laugh because it’s so f’n random. Everything from DJ Khaled, to Brooks and Dunn, Notorious BIG, and Madonna. And of course, Third Eye Blind “Semi Charmed” is on there. Have a listen here.

BONUS TIP! Quick and easiest of them all - I simply tell myself out loud to "Vibrate Higher". And I say it over and over until I get the chills and a smile on my face. Try it out!!

Go be awesome.